Ulf Wakenius

Biography

Ulf Karl Erik Wakenius, 16 April 1958, Halmstad, Sweden. Raised in Gothenburg, Wakenius played guitar from early childhood. At first self-taught, he later studied at Gothenburg Conservatoire. Initially, his interest lay in contemporary blues but he later moved into jazz. By his late teens he was already known as a session musician and in the mid- and late 70s he was with the Swedish bands Sundance and Mwendo Dawa. Later, he toured Europe and in the early 80s he and fellow guitarist Peter Almqvist formed Guitars Unlimited, recording Introducing Guitars Unlimited Duo (1983) and Acoustic Shokk (1985). Wakenius also recorded with Svend Asmussen and visited South America, playing concerts and recording. In these years, he also began working with bass player Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, establishing a strong working relationship that lasted until Ørsted Pedersens death in 2005. In the early 90s, Wakenius was a member of Graffiti with drummer Dennis...